Donovan Richards was elected to the City Council from the 31st District in February 2013. When you speak with City Council member Donovan Richards, two things become readily apparent: an encyclopedic knowledge of the needs of his Southeast Queens Council district and the drive to pursue solutions for each of those needs simultaneously.
Search Results for: South Jamaica, Queens
New Filings and Decisions charts for May 2012 available
Every month CityLand creates a comprehensive set of charts to track land use applications undergoing public review. This includes new applications filed with the Department of City Planning and the Board of Standards & Appeals, applications certified into the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, and applications before the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
We track these applications throughout the review process and until a final decision has been made by the competent City Agency. The majority … <Read More>
Kate Ascher on Our Urban Environment
Kate Ascher, head of Happold Consulting’s U.S. practice, has perhaps become better known for her popular books on how cities work. Ascher received her masters and doctorate degrees from the London School of Economics, where she focused on the interface between the public and private sectors. She previously worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and Vornado Realty Trust. Currently, Ascher teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate … <Read More>
Council Member Leroy Comrie Discusses His Role as Land Use Committee Chair
Council Member Leroy Comrie, Chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee and representative of Queens’ 27th District, is not afraid to raise his voice or make his opinion known. For the most part, however, Comrie is known as a quiet, thoughtful, and fair-minded civic leader.
Comrie was born in Jersey City, but he was raised in the same southeast Queens community he now represents. His parents, Jamaican immigrants, helped spark Comrie’s interests in politics … <Read More>
Vested rights denied despite DOB permit error
Developer failed to inform DOB of error and continued work without a permit. After the City voted to downzone Jamaica Hills, Queens, Hamida Realty applied to BSA, arguing that it had obtained a vested right to continue its development on two adjoining lots located at 87-30 and 87-32 167th Street, north of Hillside Avenue.
When purchased by Hamida in 2001, the two 30-foot lots were joined and contained a single home that Hamida demolished. Hamida … <Read More>
New district approved with 70-block rezoning
Council Member Avella drops his opposition to the application of the R5D district to Jamaica Hill and Hillcrest, Queens. The City Council approved a 70-block rezoning for the Jamaica Hill and Hillcrest areas of Queens and a linked application for a newly created zoning district. The action reduced the size and density of permitted development on 59 blocks and up-zoned 11 blocks to a new district, an R5D.
The R5D district permits all residential building … <Read More>